Author
Topic: It's a gas... (Read 7802 times)

Just received my invoice for renewing my shield gas. It's from Air Products and the gas is an Argon/co2 mix.

It wasn't a very nice experience.

The product it's self was ok at £36.62. but there was a £20.45 'handling charge'. Now, I collected the bottle. And all the supplier had to do was open the gate to his storage area and put the bottle in the back of the car.

Where do they get their prices from ?

All in all, with the 20% VAT and the £1.65 'energy charge', my bottle had now risen to £70.42.

FWIW I just bought a 20l @ 2000psi bottle of pure Argon (for TIG welding) @ £80 for the gas, and £85 cylinder deposit (all plus the dreaded VAT of course, which at least I can reclaim). I'm guessing MIG gas would be cheaper but I don't have a price.

This was from a distributor for http://www.sgsgasses.co.uk - turns out they're less than 1/2 mile away (about 500 yards as the crow flies - but someone's stuck a ruddy great dock in the way!)

Logged

Cheers!Ade.--Location: Wallasey, Merseyside. A long way from anywhere.Or: Zhengzhou, China. An even longer way from anywhere...Skype: adev73

Have you looked at albee professional? rapid metals are a stockist for them but there are others you would have to look at their website.Anyway they sell you a full bottle to start which is expensive but the bottle and built in regulater is yours theres no rental. the refills are a bit more than others too but apparently they fill to a higher pressure than the others.I am planning to get a argoshield from them once my BOC one runs out, as for me the rental is the biggest expense in my gas usage and I think that within a couple of years I would be saving.

Logged

Turns out this life c**p is just one big distraction from death but a good one. For the love of god dont give yourself time to think.https://myshedblog.wordpress.com/

it was really getting ridiculously expensive in Australia. If you used a small bottle a year you were paying nearly $200 for the bottle rental and $150 for the gas. There has been a big shift here though some companies are now offering bottles for sale (ie no rental) at about $400 (full) and refills at about $100 delivered.At one bottle per year you break even in 2 years..

For me, if I use a bottle (the mid sized, not the 6ft tall one) a year it is cheaper than any of the rent-free deals I could find. If I use more that 1 bottle a year it is even better value. (and so far as I am still learning to TIG I am on my second bottle in 8months)

I'll second Tim on the BOC/Volkzone deal. I found (after much research) that offered more Ltrs/£ than any other supplier deal and as Tim said no rental cost, just an annual deposit. I use Argoshield for Mig welding on my old VW Transporter which needs patching and panel replacement on a regular basis !Nathan

I didn't realise there was also a standing rental charge these days with Air Products. So another £10.35 per month to find.Last time I user them there was just a fixed up front charge and the cost of the gas.

So what with oxy/acetylene and shield gas, It looks as if it is getting close to packing it all in time.

I do have a similar size bottle of acetylene from the same place. But that was taken out on my old account; which they say they no longer have. So I'm not sure if that one is being taken into account or not. No doubt I will find out when I need to renew it. There is no mention of it on the latest paperwork.

As you have seen, I got my Air Products cylinder sorted out finally. And the invoices for around £8.0 started to appear each month.

Today I noticed that another invoice was there to be read (PDF). and this time it was for £23 pound.

So, I phoned Air products to ask what was going on.

'Didn't they tell you how the rental system works ? the nice lady asked.

No, they said it was about £8 per month.

'Well, it depends upon how much you use. And I see that you still have the same bottle. If you don't change it within three month it goes up to the next tier, which is £23. And then it goes up again if you still don't replace it after a few month'.

A this small bottle would last me about three years I would have paid out around £600 for it by the time I needed to renew it.

So I cancelled the contract and took a hit on the lost gas. I think I had done some 6" of weld in total. Maybe five minutes.

When I returned the bottle, virtually full, the agent told me that they have just re-introduced the 'hobby user' deal. You pay a deposit of around £60. You refill is £37. and the agreement last for ten year. If you return the bottle (the original or any other refills) before that time you get a small amount back.

That seems reasonable. But I think I will wait.

So, I now have brand new tig welder still in the box that is gathering dust under the stairs. maybe I will use it some day.

As a fellow user of a teaspoon of gas per month, it might be worth having a chat with United Welding Supplies. They are giving up the Albee ones as too expensive, and have moved over to another supplier which I now have. Similar terms to the Albee ones i.e. no monthly rental.Pete

Old thread i know.But just be glad that you dont live in Denmark as i do, i use co2 for mig welding, when i started i had to pay for the bottle (6kg) 266 Gbp and than the gas it self is 99 Gbp just for a filling (exchange) Argon for my tig, i am driving the 270Km each way to Kiel in germany where an exchange 20L argon cost 35Euro/22Gbp whereas in Denmark a half size costs 99 GbpIf i had to start in Denmark with Argon, i would have to pay for the bottle aswell Total cost 546 Gbp.

I still love Denmark, especially " brunswigger" pastries :coffee:but by gum you get charged for everything! I too drove over the border from Arghus to fill up on petrol less than half the spruce per litre !! There was a massive petrol station just over the border. Have things improved now here are no physical borders , or is it just an easier drive without the passport control?